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, I P. C(KEIGHLEY. I APPLIANGE FOR OPERA TING TNGLINED PLANES- No. 382,613. "Patented'May 8, 1888.

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. F. G.'KEIGHLEY. v v APPLIANOE FOR O'PERATING' IINOLVINED PLANES}:

' Patented May 8 1 888,!

N PETER$ Phuw-Lilhagnphur. Washington, D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

FREDERIOKCHARLES KEIGHLEY, OF UNIONTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPLIANCE FOR OPERATING INCLI NED PLANES..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 382,613, dated May 8,1888.

Application filed December 12, 1887. Serial No. 257.685. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known" that I, FREDERICK CHARLES KEIGHLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at U niontown, in the county of Fayette and State of Pennsylvania, have -invented a new and useful Appliance for Operating InclinedPlanes,ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the lowering and raising machinery used on inclined planes in which the rope is attached to a grip car in connection with a back-balance at the other end ofthe rope; and the objects of my improvement are, first, to enable the person operating said machinery to stop and hold the rope at any desired point on the plane; second, to provide a means by which the operator can accompany the load or car either up or down and regulate the speed thereof; and third, to reduce the labor and expense required in the use of inclined planes as at present operated. I attain-these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figurel is aground plan ofa inclined plane operated under my system and by means of my improved appliance, as designed for use in coal-mines in which the coal dips or lies at such an angle as to admit of the lowering of coal by gravity. Fig. 2 is a vertical side view of the grip-car to be used in this system. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the grip-car, showing the working of the grip and its position on the car. Fig. 4 is an end view of my invention as in use, and Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are detail views of my overhead way and backbalance.

Similar letters refer -to similar parts of the several views.

A A in Fig. 1 show the position of the inclined plane.

B B are the rooms or working places from H represents the grip-car coupledtojthepit car or wagon I bymeans of a knock-oft' linkcoupling.

J represents an extra set of wooden rails in each room upon which the empty c'ar is'pl aced until the loaded car is run out to thegrip-car. I The plan of operation is as follows: In order to get the empty wagons or cars placed in the several rooms or working places,a mule is hitched to the grip car, which, together with its rope and backbalance, is drawn to the point K and there attached to an empty car, while the grip L, Fig. 3, holds the grip-car atthe desired point. Then after the empty car is attached the grip L is released and the back balance G, Fig. 1, pulls the empty car to the desired position-say any room 0 G C, Fig. 1-when the grip is again set andthe empty car detached and placed in the room. This operation is repeated until one car has been placed in each room, after which the operation is as follows: An empty car being attached to the grip-car E, Fig. l, and the grip L, Fig. 3, being released, the car is drawn up to any point, as O O C, Fig. 1, where grip L is again set and the empty car detached and run into room on siding J, Fig. 1. When the loaded car is run out over any track 0 G O and attached to grip-car, the grip is again released and the loaded car dropped down to point K, Fig. 1, and so on successively at will.

Inall the above-described operations the operator is supposed to ride upon the grip-car and regulate its speed by means of an ordinary brake, as shown by Z Z, Fig. 2, in connection with the grip, if desired.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the grip car, showing the grip L and the mode of its attachment to the car. M M show a plate with a recess for the reception of the grip in its center, which is so attached to the bottom of the gripcar by means of bolts as to enable the placing of the round pin N N (which passes through the lower part of the grip-levers L) over the center of the rail 0 and exactly perpendicular thereto. P, Fig. 2, is the lever by which the grip is operated. Q is the fulcrum, and R is a ratchet to hold the lever in position.

h Fig. 3 is a side view of grip, showing its con struction and mode of its attachment to'the car bymeans ofa pin and washers, S S, at fulcrum Q. In this view the grip is released from the rail 0. p

The grip itself is an adaptation of the movement known as or sometimes called lazytongs, and in this case the grip is set to the rail or released therefrom by the elevation or depression of the lever P, Fig. 2, which opens and closes the so called lazy tongs or grip.

I am aware that prior to my invention loaded cars have been lowered and empty cars raised on inclined planes by means of various kinds of back-balances. Such plans of operation, however, require two lines of track, and consequently alarge amount of space, whereas by my system but one line of rails is used in connection with a suspended rail for backbalance to run upon, (placed at one side of the entry,) thus admitting the operation of a plane within the width usually allowed for single entries-say eight feet.

By the means heretofore used it was possible to move the cars from the top to the bottom of the plane only, or vice versa, whereas by my invention a car may be stopped and detached and a loaded car attached at any intermediate point.

I also claim that my invention dispenses with the old-style brake-and-drum attachments as used on inclined planes, and consequently lessens friction, &c. I do not, however,claim such a combination, broadly; but

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination, in the operating of an inclined plane, of the suspended track F, the backbalance G, and the grip-oar H, as shown by Fig. 1.

FREDERICK CHARLES KEIGHLEY.

Witnesses:

H. F. DETWILER, CHARLES S. GAUSE. 

